Equalities

Promoting equality and community cohesion at Oakleigh School

Oakleigh School and the community in which we are situated are diverse, multilingual and cohesive. As a diverse school, we value and celebrate the richness of culture, backgrounds and traditions we share. The richness that our diversity brings helps to make Oakleigh an excellent place to learn and work. Our school is responsive to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural needs of its users and the community.

At Oakleigh School and the Early Years Intervention Centre we have a strong commitment to fairness and equality in everything that we do.

We try to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and with respect.We work hard to make sure that the school is a safe and secure environment for everyone.

We recognise that people have different needs, and we understand that treating people equally does not always involve treating them all exactly the same.

We recognise that for some pupils extra support is needed to help them to achieve and be successful.

We try to make sure that people from different groups are consulted and involved in our decisions, for example through talking to parents and carers, and listening to our pupils in whichever way they communicate to us.

We aim to make sure that no-one experiences harassment, less favourable treatment or discrimination because of their age; any disability they may have; their ethnicity, colour or national origin; their gender; their gender identity or reassignment; their marital or civil partnership status; being pregnant or having recently had a baby; their religion or beliefs; their sexual identity and orientation.

We welcome our general duty under the Equality Act 2010 to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination; to advance equality of opportunity; and to foster good relations. See also our Equalities Policy and SMSC Development.

We also welcome our specific duties to publish information about our school population; to explain how we have due regard for equality; and to publish equality objectives which show how we plan to tackle any particular inequalities or disadvantages found.

Meeting our duties to promote community cohesion, and the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, supports how we meet the needs of different groups of pupils and how we foster good relations.

We welcome the emphasis in the Ofsted inspection framework on the importance of narrowing gaps in achievement which can affect groups such as those outlined below, however, our cohorts of children are exceptionally small, and we support children’s learning on such an individual basis which helps them to achieve as much as they possibly can.

The groups can include:

pupils from certain ethnic and cultural backgrounds

pupils who are supported by the pupil premium

pupils who have disabilities

pupils who have special educational needs

boys in certain subjects, and girls in certain other subjects.

For more information about our work on equalities at Oakleigh School please contact:

Position currently awaiting appointment(Member of governing body with responsibility for equality issues)Tel: 020 8368 5336Email: office@oakleigh.barnetmail.net

Information about the pupil population for Academic Year 2017-18

Number of pupils on roll at the school: 82

Information on pupils by protected characteristics

The Equality Act protects people from discrimination on the basis of ‘protected characteristics’. Every person has several of the protected characteristics, so the Act protects everyone against unfair treatment.

Equality Objectives

The following provides information on how we have due regard to the need to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations. This includes steps we are taking to tackle and meet the needs of particular individuals and groups of pupils with protected characteristics.

Equality Objective 1 (2016-2017)

Sharing and understanding good practice around the school - class staff swapping roles across departments so that we can experience what it is like working with different groups of children and in different teams.

Progress towards achieving this objective:This objective changed in focus to having a more proactive approach to validating the cultural heritage of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic pupils and staff. As a school we are looking at how we address equalities relating to cultural diversity within the staff team, and the school population. In addition, we heightened the profile of our zero tolerance to discrimination approach within staff induction and on posters around the school.

Equality Objective 2 (2016-2017)

To develop closer links between families and class teams through a curriculum focus each term and rolling out Tapestry.

Progress towards achieving this objective:We have been working on Tapestry so that we validate the cultural heritage of our families. For example, some classes have piloted further involvement of families, through initiatives like recording families saying hello in their home languages, or producing My Home books and displays with photos and input from families from a diverse range of heritages. We want to continue to highlight and value diversity so as to encourage engagement with our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic families.

Targets for 2017-18

Our targets for 2017-18 are to further develop the 2016-7 objectives as follows:

Continue to look at how we as a school address Equalities.

To broaden the use of the My Home family focus books and displays across Oakleigh and Acorn. Through this we will also help staff members to develop their own understanding and knowledge of the cultures and home life of both our pupils and their colleagues.

To have Whole School training on Equalities as part of our 2017-2018 INSET programme.